Out-the-Door Pricing System, Method and Computer Program Product Therefor

Abstract

Embodiments provide consumers browsing and shopping online for durable goods such as new vehicles with out-the-door prices for user-specified vehicle configurations. A vehicle data system can obtain automotive registration data from various sources, identify true taxes versus fees, process them into separate groups, associate them to vehicle configurations, and persist the associated taxes and fees in a database. This backend process can be done offline, independent of a frontend process that services user requests in real time. A user request containing a user-specified vehicle configuration may be received by the vehicle data system through a website. The vehicle data system may determine an out-the-door price for the user-specified vehicle configuration, the out-the-door price representing a final amount that a consumer is to pay a dealer for the user-specified vehicle configuration and including applicable taxes and fees retrieved from the database.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for determining an out-the-door price on a user-specified vehicle configuration, comprising:
 obtaining, by a vehicle data system having a processor and a memory, automotive registration data from sources communicatively connected to the vehicle data system;   identifying, by the vehicle data system, taxes versus fees per locality in the automotive registration data;   processing, by the vehicle data system, the taxes and the fees into separate groups;   associating, by the vehicle data system, the taxes and the fees with a set of vehicle configurations;   persisting the taxes and the fees in a database accessible by the vehicle data system;   receiving, by the vehicle data system, a user-specified vehicle configuration from a user device communicatively connected to the vehicle data system;   determining, by the vehicle data system, a vehicle price for the user-specified vehicle configuration; and   determining, by the vehicle data system, an out-the-door price on the user-specified vehicle configuration, the out-the-door price including the vehicle price, taxes retrieved from the database that are applicable to the user-specified vehicle configuration, and fees retrieved from the database that are applicable to the user-specified vehicle configuration, including at least a documentation fee charged by a dealer for the user-specified vehicle configuration, the out-the-door price representing a final amount that a consumer is to pay the dealer for the user-specified vehicle configuration.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising receiving or obtaining documentation fees from a plurality of dealers, wherein the fees persisted in the database include the documentation fees. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the obtaining further comprises:
 building a set of vehicle permutations;   querying the sources using the set of vehicle permutations; and   collecting responses from the sources, the responses comprising the automotive registration data.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the identifying further comprises:
 comparing outcomes resulted from querying a source with two vehicle permutations that are substantially identical except sale prices associated therewith; and   based at least in part on the outcomes, determining whether a line item listed by the source in the automotive registration data is a fee or a tax.   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 identifying additional taxes and fees applicable to any vehicles in the set of vehicle configurations that meet gross vehicle weight criteria.   
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the user-specified vehicle configuration comprises at least year, made, model, body, and trim of a specific vehicle. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 indexing the taxes and the fees using vehicle trim identifiers associated with the set of vehicle configurations.   
     
     
         8 . A system for determining an out-the-door price on a user-specified vehicle configuration, comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to perform:   obtaining automotive registration data from sources communicatively connected to the system;   identifying taxes versus fees per locality in the automotive registration data;   processing the taxes and the fees into separate groups;   associating the taxes and the fees with a set of vehicle configurations;   persisting the taxes and the fees in a database;   receiving a user-specified vehicle configuration from a user device communicatively connected to the system;   determining a vehicle price for the user-specified vehicle configuration; and   determining an out-the-door price on the user-specified vehicle configuration, the out-the-door price including the vehicle price, taxes retrieved from the database that are applicable to the user-specified vehicle configuration, and fees retrieved from the database that are applicable to the user-specified vehicle configuration, including at least a documentation fee charged by a dealer for the user-specified vehicle configuration, the out-the-door price representing a final amount that a consumer is to pay the dealer for the user-specified vehicle configuration.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to perform:
 receiving or obtaining documentation fees from a plurality of dealers, wherein the fees persisted in the database include the documentation fees.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the obtaining further comprises:
 building a set of vehicle permutations;   querying the sources using the set of vehicle permutations; and   collecting responses from the sources, the responses comprising the automotive registration data.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the identifying further comprises:
 comparing outcomes resulted from querying a source with two vehicle permutations that are substantially identical except sale prices associated therewith; and   based at least in part on the outcomes, determining whether a line item listed by the source in the automotive registration data is a fee or a tax.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to perform:
 identifying additional taxes and fees applicable to any vehicles in the set of vehicle configurations that meet gross vehicle weight criteria.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the user-specified vehicle configuration comprises at least year, made, model, body, and trim of a specific vehicle. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the database is indexed to vehicle trim identifiers at a vehicle trim level. 
     
     
         15 . A computer program product for determining an out-the-door price on a user-specified vehicle configuration, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by a processor to perform:
 obtaining automotive registration data from sources on the Internet;   identifying taxes versus fees per locality in the automotive registration data;   processing the taxes and the fees into separate groups;   associating the taxes and the fees with a set of vehicle configurations;   persisting the taxes and the fees in a database;   receiving a user-specified vehicle configuration from a user device;   determining a vehicle price for the user-specified vehicle configuration; and   determining an out-the-door price on the user-specified vehicle configuration, the out-the-door price including the vehicle price, taxes retrieved from the database that are applicable to the user-specified vehicle configuration, and fees retrieved from the database that are applicable to the user-specified vehicle configuration, including at least a documentation fee charged by a dealer for the user-specified vehicle configuration, the out-the-door price representing a final amount that a consumer is to pay the dealer for the user-specified vehicle configuration.   
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to perform:
 receiving or obtaining documentation fees from a plurality of dealers, wherein the fees persisted in the database include the documentation fees.   
     
     
         17 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the obtaining further comprises:
 building a set of vehicle permutations;   querying the sources using the set of vehicle permutations; and   collecting responses from the sources, the responses comprising the automotive registration data.   
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the identifying further comprises:
 comparing outcomes resulted from querying a source with two vehicle permutations that are substantially identical except sale prices associated therewith; and   based at least in part on the outcomes, determining whether a line item listed by the source in the automotive registration data is a fee or a tax.   
     
     
         19 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to perform:
 identifying additional taxes and fees applicable to any vehicles in the set of vehicle configurations that meet gross vehicle weight criteria.   
     
     
         20 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to perform:
 indexing the taxes and the fees using vehicle trim identifiers associated with the set of vehicle configurations.